I don’t know about you but there seems to be a lot on social media and other places about decluttering at this time of year. From spreading it out over the month of January, to the whole year, to a mass clear out. Ever heard that phrase – “hold it and if it doesn’t give you joy or isn’t useful then get rid of it?” It all sounds good, and people have even made their career from advising people on this.

To me this is very, very, very, very, very, very, very upsetting! A travesty, a disaster, a calamity, a tragedy and a farce. You may be able to tell I am not a fan of minimalism!

So why you may ask – well, the concept is simply promoting the creation of landfill. There is no place to get rid of things.

Take the concept of donating to charity shops. I know friends always justify their clear out by saying they will be donating things to charity. This is great – anything to prevent items going to landfill, and it is always good to support charities – enabling them to earn money.

However, I have started to question this. I donate things regularly to charities, and over the past year I have helped clear my aunt’s house – after she moved into a home. I registered my details with charities, to enable them to claim back the tax. That meant that with some charities like Age UK I received a report on the amount my items had made for the charity. In one quarter, after donating around 20 bin bags of items I found they had raised £16.53 from the sale of these items. That means many of the items were not sold. So what happened?

Basically the amount of things given far exceeds the demand for those things. Therefore charity shops have a choice. Do they send the donated items to landfill, or do they try and pass or trade on your items. An estimate is that only 10-30% of items donated are sold in charity shops1, and 30% of clothes end up directly in landfill2. The BBC3 produced an interesting article on how many of your items are traded abroad. They are sold in this country for a small amount then taken to countries such as Poland, Ghana and Pakistan and sold on for a profit. This is great as it keeps items out of landfill, however, as with many cheap imports it can put the livelihood and local economy at risk this is not much of an answer either. Whilst these sites talk mostly about clothes, the same principal applies to other items.

Therefore instead of decluttering I have a different set of “New year challenges” which I will be following and I hope you may choose one as well.

Make do

I love shopping – there is something about the acquisition of something new that gives pleasure. However my challenge this year is not to buy. Often I try and justify things by telling myself how much I will use it (and that is normally true), but this year I am going to attempt to not purchase, unless necessary. Instead I will review what I have and see if I can “make do” with what I have. This may include being creative in how I use things – from not throwing away that favourite mug with the broken handle, but instead using it to hold pens, to using the mixer I got from a jumble sale mumble, mumble years ago that is slightly bent and has seen better days, but still keeps going.

The advantage of this of course is that my “New year’s resolution” is to do nothing! That always makes it easy to keep.

And Mend

I am falling out of love with one of my favourite coats. I realised it was simply that the pocket was torn, and I spend half the time wearing it searching for things in the lining. I am going to mend that, and then there are those trousers… and that ornament that the cat knocked over. I might even be able to mend that mug!

Be Creative

Just because something was sold for one purpose doesn’t mean it has to be used for that! A few years ago I realised I had a plethora of T-shirts I had not worn for years, and was unlikely to. Some had “gone” around the neck, others were torn, or no longer my taste or some simply didn’t fit. Rather than throw them out I utilised them to make a rather interesting throw quilt, with the pictures and logos adding memories and personalisation to a chair in need of colour!

Learn a craft

Obviously some of these ideas take some time and some skill. I don’t think I am too bad on the practical side. I am as happy driving a sewing machine as a drill. I have mastered the complexities of super glue and I will never be without duct tape. However there are things I can’t do, or could be better at. Therefore I will try and sign up to a course in DIY - what is there in your local area?

Buy second hand – frequent charity shops

Have you ever wondered where your clothes are made? By buying them are you adding to child labour/slave wages/resource and water crisis? By buying second hand, especially from a charity, you are massively reducing this concern, and ensuring your money ends up in a less morally murky place.

Not only that you helping charities raise money

And you are able to be smug over any concerns about clothing reducing landfill, reducing transport costs of clothes to other countries and reducing concerns on flooding poor economies with cast off items, and of course you are helping those who do want to send their things to charity shops.

Finally you save money!

There is a reason the old catch phrase was “Reduce, Reuse – and then recycle.”

If you have seen of my advent calendar posts you will know I have completed a craft for each day of advent.One of these was making candle sticks out of small logs. Someone asked me if I had used a hand drill – a brace and bit - to create these. I had to admit I hadn’t. I know from past experience that the depth needed to be stable with a candle was greater than expected, and because it was quite a wide hole to drill that was very hard work when doing it by hand! Instead I used an electric drill, which made things much easier, well I say that, but my first attempt was a bit of a disaster.

The small log I chose wasn’t wide enough for the hole that was drilled with the bit. Basically, the outside of the post that should have held the candle cracked and broke off leaving a rather scraggy bit of much smaller wood. I thought rather than give up I would try again. I cut down the log (it was a bit short now, but I thought it would be alright) This time I used a smaller drill bit, and made a decent hole, and I even managed to find a narrower candle to fit it. All go for a candle holder…. However, when I put the candle in the hole the log fell over. It was now so small a piece of wood it didn’t have the weight or depth to be stable enough, and that is a bad combination for something on fire! I put this failure to one side and we made a few much better candle sticks. It was a learning experience, but not much more.

Until I was running a meditation session and thought it might be nice to try lighting some incense. Unfortunately, I could not find the holder, but then I saw my failed candle stick, and realised it was perfect for the incense stick. I had managed to repurpose my mistake, and even got a compliment for it. I realised then that for some groups making a candle stick can be too hard, but an incense holder may work better, and that even the things I have given up on could be used.

This brought to mind some of my ideas on mistakes, how our need as a society to live the perfect life can be a real strain on our mental health – for both adults and young people. How there often isn’t room for ‘having a go’ - trying things out and not making it, for being second or third best, or even the worst! With the rise of social media, our actions are scrutinised, and we see the perfected presentation from others for us to live up to. This means the errors and mistakes in our life can feel out of all proportion to the achievements.

I have seen this when running courses. Both children and adults can be overly critical of their work, focusing only on the bits that need improving. I created this story below to consider mistakes, and the role they have in our lives….

A story of mistakes

Leah was in a bad mood. She had worked really hard on her maths and it was normally one of her best subjects. But today they had had a test. It wasn’t too difficult. Just adding big numbers and Leah was normally quite good at this. Today however she had made some mistakes. Even the teacher said she wasn’t as good as normal. Leah didn’t like that. She didn’t like making mistakes. Add to that she wasn’t going home tonight. Her parents were going out and she was going to stay with her grandparents. That meant she couldn’t escape to her bedroom. Leah kicked the ground. The other children were pushing past, talking and running home. Leah was planning how long she could dawdle before she was chided along. She swung her bag in a way she was told not to by her mum and scraped the soles of her shoes along the pavement.

Leah’s Nan stood a little apart from the normal parents doing the pick up. She didn’t know many of them, this was only the second time she had ever picked Leah up from school. She watched Leah walk, her eyes stared down at the pavement, she scowled and scraped her shoes. Nan raised an eyebrow. It looked like thing were not quite right with Leah.

Leah and her Nan drove home in near silence. Nan asked a few questions about Leah’s day, but Leah just shrugged or made indistinct noises. There wasn’t anything she wanted to say. Her maths test was taking up all of her mind.

Once they got to Nan’s house Leah followed Nan in and sat in the living room whilst Nan went and cooked her tea. Leah still had said nothing, she was so upset. It might not have seen a big deal to many people, but to her it meant everything. Leah suddenly noticed Nan sitting in the chair next to her. She wasn’t sure how long she had been there.

“What’s up”

Leah shrugged

“I bet I can make up a story to help you feel better”

Leah shook her head

“Try me”

There was silence.

“It’s maths. I did really badly at school today. I made stupid mistakes. I know everyone will say it doesn’t matter and that it isn’t important. But I hate making mistakes.”

Nan paused for a bit then smiled. “Grab your coat, and hat and gloves.” It was cold out that December evening, and already dark. “We are going for a walk.”

Leah hesitated. She wanted to feel cross, but a walk in the night was unusual. Curiosity got the better of her.They walked to the park near Nan’s house. Leah’s breath made swirling patterns and the air was so cold it felt like it was biting at Leah’s skin.

Nan kept up a quick pace keeping them both warm. Then, when it seemed like it was as far from houses as they could get she stopped.

“Close your eyes, Leah.”

Leah was intrigued, she closed her eyes. Nan gently turned her round, and whispered in her ear “look up.” Leah opened her eyes. “What can you see?”

“I can see stars. Lots of bright shiny stars. “ As nice as the stars were this was not going to change how Leah felt.

“OK,” breathed Nan, “close your eyes again.” She turned Leah to face the other way. “Now look up, what can you see?”

Leah looked up. There was a beautiful bright shiny moon. It was low in the sky and looked huge as it hugged the edge of the tree’s silhouettes. “I can see the moon.” She hadn’t often stopped to just look at the moon and see how beautiful it was.

Nan said “which do you prefer the sky with the moon, or the bit of sky without a moon” Leah looked up at her and smiled.

“With the moon.”

Nan nodded. “Try thinking this… That moon is like your mistakes. It is big, and takes up your whole view, you can only see the moon. But leave it a while and the moon will be higher in the sky. We will have moved, and the moon will seem much smaller. So although now you think a maths test is everything, and it is filling up your whole view, it will change. Just give it time.”

Leah opened her mouth to argue, but Nan went on. “And the stars are still there. No matter how big the moon seems, the stars don’t change. Sometimes they seem smaller because of what else is going on, but they will always be there.”

Nan paused, then carried on “and Leah you said the sky with the moon is nicer. So is life with mistakes. It isn’t wrong to make any mistakes, and sometimes we even have to make the same mistakes many times, but that is much, much better than trying to be perfect all the time. It makes life a lot more interesting, enjoy them.”

Leah was quiet on the walk home. She wasn’t upset any more just thinking, as they reached the house she slipped her hand into Nan’s

“I hope tea is OK”

​Nan was a good cook.

Finally

I am starting a PhD in wellbeing and wildlife – learning in the outdoors. I am seeking funding for this, and as a part of any donation you make I will endeavor to offer you a summary of relevant, up to date research this area, including building resilience and the joy of making mistakes!

This time of year holly takes centre stage… “of all the trees in the woods, the holly bears the crown.”

Have you used holly in your house as a Christmas decoration?

​The deep glossy green of the leaves and, if you are lucky enough to find a female holly you could have some bright red berries to add a festive touch to internal décor. (Yes, there are male and female holly trees, and only the females have berries)

It is obviously commonly used – just today I have been making a Christmas wreath that features a lot of holly – and ivy, and I use holly to cheer up some dull corners at Christmas.

However, do you know why we use holly at Christmas?

There are the practical reasons. Holly is an evergreen, so when the deciduous trees have lost their last leaves, holly is still green. There are the Christian representations of red berries for Christs blood, and prickles for Christs crown.

The best explanation, though, is one that takes into account different beliefs. Holly is seen as a symbol of protection; it is the fairies pick of all the trees – as it gives them somewhere to hide!

If you were an ancient Celt you would know fairies can be a problem. They curdle the milk, upset the cat, and generally cause chaos. You do not want them in your house causing problems! In winter though, they like a bit of warmth, and seek out the shelter of human dwellings. This can be an issue, especially near the winter solstice, when the nights are longest and give the most cover to fairy mischief.

So what can be done? – There are remedies to keep you home fairy free – but these are not always guaranteed to work. As with many aspects of nature, it is often better to work with the problem rather than against it. As everyone know fairies cause far fewer issues when they have somewhere to live – safe and sound. The answer of course is to bring in holly from the outside to give the fairies somewhere to call their own. This solves this tricky little nuisance.

I know this, as I have often asked people about their use of holly around Christmas.

Did you answer yes to having holly in the house? Do you have problems with the fairies?

See – it works….

So why have I told that tale? Well, it always amuses me, and when I use it on a winter’s plant walk, I guess a wry chuckle from participants. But the title of my blog is on Holly, fairies and research.

So what has this got to do with research? In a way nothing, but in a way everything, and to me it explains the importance and power of research.

In educational settings there are always theories as to what should be done to achieve in new and more effective ways. Take the concept of learning styles. Interventions aimed at teachers, asking them to teach in different ways – to target learning styles showed an increase in attainment. Thus the conclusion was that teachers should assess each child’s learning style and present information in this manner.

This bares distinct similarities to the story of fairies; a premise is set out, observations made, and conclusion drawn based on the pre-conceived notion, without putting into place unbiased research open to scrutiny that can be peer reviewed.

So what can be done to over come this “false positive” assumption. The simple answer is good research.Research in psychology and social sciences is often boiled down to quantitative – that is measurable, and qualitative – that is observable.

If we were to take the situation of holly preventing fairy mischief we could do an experiment. In a typical house, or houses we could measure the number of fairy related problems with and without holly to see if that is why people bring holly into the house.

We could measure the effect of fairy problems using questionnaires - give people, both those who do use holly and those who don’t a quiz on their issues with fairies.

Or if we wanted to look at the holly issue more ethnographically, we could do this by interviewing people on their reasons for bringing holly into the house, or observing them as they decorate their homes.

There is a slight possibility that these approaches may debunk my theory on holly, which ruins a perfectly good story. Therefore, I will not be pursuing the matter further.

More importantly however, I feel that theories in education, wellbeing and child development should be open to this sort of approach – what alternative ideas could the explain the findings of the study on learning styles? How could this be assessed? This questioning attitude is essential for all ideas, and the narrative should not obscure the facts.

I am starting a PhD in wellbeing and wildlife – learning in the outdoors. I am seeking funding for this, and as a part of any donation you make I will endeavor to offer you a summary of relevant, up to date research in this area, taking a questioning and analytical stance. I will aim not to let the “good story” outweigh the evidence - this is my chance to try and overcome some of the biases in how information is presented.